On May 15, 1912, Detroit Tigers outfielder Ty Cobb went into the stands at the end of the sixth inning. It became the backdrop for a game that might as well been the plot for a work of fiction. Claude Lauker, who had lost one complete hand and only had three fingers on the other due to an industrial accident, had been taunting Cobb with racial slurs.
By the end of the 6th, Cobb had enough of the taunting and made his way into the stands at Hilltop Park. Reportedly, when Cobb began to beat Lauker, fans pleaded with him to not beat a disabled man.